2 Samuel 8-9
Christian Standard Bible
David’s Victories
8 After this, David defeated the Philistines,(A) subdued them, and took Metheg-ammah[a] from Philistine control.[b](B) 2 He also defeated the Moabites, and after making them lie down on the ground, he measured them off with a cord. He measured every two cord lengths of those to be put to death and one full length of those to be kept alive. So the Moabites became David’s subjects and brought tribute.(C)
3 David also defeated Hadadezer(D) son of Rehob, king of Zobah, when he went to restore his control at the Euphrates River. 4 David captured seventeen hundred horsemen[c] and twenty thousand foot soldiers from him, and he hamstrung all the horses(E) and kept a hundred chariots.[d]
5 When the Arameans of Damascus(F) came to assist King Hadadezer of Zobah, David struck down twenty-two thousand Aramean men. 6 Then he placed garrisons in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.(G)
7 David took the gold shields of Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem.(H) 8 King David also took huge quantities of bronze from Betah[e] and Berothai, Hadadezer’s cities.
9 When King Toi of Hamath(I) heard that David had defeated the entire army of Hadadezer, 10 he sent his son Joram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Toi and Hadadezer had fought many wars. Joram had items of silver, gold, and bronze with him. 11 King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had dedicated from all the nations he had subdued(J)— 12 from Edom,[f] Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Amalekites, and the spoil of Hadadezer son of Rehob, king of Zobah.
13 David made a reputation(K) for himself when he returned from striking down eighteen thousand Edomites[g] in Salt Valley.[h](L) 14 He placed garrisons throughout Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David.(M) The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.(N)
15 So David reigned over all Israel, administering justice and righteousness for all his people.(O)
16 Joab son of Zeruiah was over the army;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;
17 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were priests;
Seraiah was court secretary;
18 Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites;(P)
and David’s sons were chief officials.[i]
David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth
9 David asked, “Is there anyone remaining from the family of Saul I can show kindness(Q) to for Jonathan’s sake?” (R) 2 There was a servant of Saul’s family named Ziba.(S) They summoned him to David, and the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”
“I am your servant,” he replied.
3 So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family that I can show the kindness of God to?”
Ziba said to the king, “There is still Jonathan’s son who was injured in both feet.”(T)
4 The king asked him, “Where is he?”
Ziba answered the king, “You’ll find him in Lo-debar at the house of Machir son of Ammiel.” 5 So King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar.
6 Mephibosheth son of Jonathan son of Saul came to David, fell facedown, and paid homage. David said, “Mephibosheth!”
“I am your servant,” he replied.
7 “Don’t be afraid,” David said to him, “since I intend to show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all your grandfather Saul’s fields, and you will always eat meals at my table.”(U)
8 Mephibosheth paid homage and said, “What is your servant that you take an interest in a dead dog(V) like me?”
9 Then the king summoned Saul’s attendant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and his family. 10 You, your sons, and your servants are to work the ground for him, and you are to bring in the crops so your master’s grandson will have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants.
11 Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all my lord the king commands.”
So Mephibosheth ate at David’s[j] table just like one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica.(W) All those living in Ziba’s house were Mephibosheth’s servants. 13 However, Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem because he always ate at the king’s table. His feet had been injured.
Footnotes
- 8:1 Or took control of the mother city; Hb obscure
- 8:1 LXX reads them, and David took tribute out of the hand of the Philistines
- 8:4 LXX, DSS read 1,000 chariots and 7,000 horsemen
- 8:4 Or chariot horses
- 8:8 Some LXX mss, Syr read Tebah
- 8:12 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read Aram; 1Ch 18:11
- 8:13 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr; other Hb mss read Arameans; 1Ch 18:12
- 8:13 = the Dead Sea region
- 8:18 LXX; MT reads were priests; 1Ch 18:17
- 9:11 LXX; Syr reads the king’s; Vg reads your; MT reads my
1 Chronicles 18
Christian Standard Bible
David’s Military Campaigns
18 After this,(A) David defeated the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its surrounding villages from Philistine control. 2 He also defeated the Moabites, and they became David’s subjects and brought tribute.
3 David also defeated King Hadadezer of Zobah at Hamath when he went to establish his control at the Euphrates River. 4 David captured one thousand chariots, seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers from him, hamstrung all the horses, and kept a hundred chariots.[a]
5 When the Arameans of Damascus came to assist King Hadadezer of Zobah,(B) David struck down twenty-two thousand Aramean men. 6 Then he placed garrisons[b](C) in Aram of Damascus, and the Arameans became David’s subjects and brought tribute. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.
7 David took the gold shields carried by Hadadezer’s officers and brought them to Jerusalem. 8 From Tibhath and Cun, Hadadezer’s cities, David also took huge quantities of bronze, from which Solomon made the bronze basin,[c] the pillars, and the bronze articles.(D)
9 When King Tou of Hamath heard that David had defeated the entire army of King Hadadezer of Zobah, 10 he sent his son Hadoram to King David to greet him and to congratulate him because David had fought against Hadadezer and defeated him, for Tou and Hadadezer had fought many wars. Hadoram brought all kinds of gold, silver, and bronze items. 11 King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold he had carried off from all the nations—from Edom, Moab, the Ammonites, the Philistines, and the Amalekites.
12 Abishai son of Zeruiah struck down eighteen thousand Edomites in the Salt Valley. 13 He put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites were subject to David. The Lord made David victorious wherever he went.
14 So David reigned over all Israel,(E) administering justice and righteousness for all his people.
15 Joab(F) son of Zeruiah was over the army;
Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was court historian;
16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech[d](G) son of Abiathar were priests;
Shavsha was court secretary;
17 Benaiah son of Jehoiada(H) was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites;
and David’s sons were the chief officials at the king’s side.
Psalm 50
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 50
God as Judge
A psalm of Asaph.(A)
1 The Mighty One, God,[a] the Lord, speaks;
he summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to its setting.(B)
2 From Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God appears in radiance.[b](C)
3 Our God is coming; he will not be silent!
Devouring fire precedes him,
and a storm rages around him.(D)
4 On high, he summons heaven and earth
in order to judge his people:(E)
5 “Gather my faithful ones to me,
those who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.”(F)
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,(G)
for God is the Judge.(H)Selah
7 “Listen, my people, and I will speak;
I will testify against you, Israel.
I am God, your God.(I)
8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or for your burnt offerings,
which are continually before me.(J)
9 I will not take a bull from your household
or male goats from your pens,(K)
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird of the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.(L)
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and everything in it is mine.(M)
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?(N)
14 Offer a thanksgiving sacrifice to God,(O)
and pay your vows to the Most High.(P)
15 Call on me in a day of trouble;
I will rescue you, and you will honor me.”(Q)
16 But God says to the wicked:
“What right do you have to recite my statutes
and to take my covenant on your lips?(R)
17 You hate instruction
and fling my words behind you.(S)
18 When you see a thief,
you make friends with him,
and you associate with adulterers.(T)
19 You unleash your mouth for evil
and harness your tongue for deceit.(U)
20 You sit, maligning your brother,
slandering your mother’s son.(V)
21 You have done these things, and I kept silent;
you thought I was just like you.(W)
But I will rebuke you
and lay out the case before you.[c](X)
Psalm 53
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 53
A Portrait of Sinners
For the choir director: on Mahalath.(A) A Maskil of David.
1 The fool says in his heart, “There’s no God.”
They are corrupt, and they do vile deeds.
There is no one who does good.(B)
2 God looks down from heaven on the human race[a]
to see if there is one who is wise,
one who seeks God.(C)
3 All have turned away;
all alike have become corrupt.
There is no one who does good,
not even one.(D)
4 Will evildoers never understand?
They consume my people as they consume bread;(E)
they do not call on God.(F)
5 Then they will be filled with dread—
dread like no other(G)—
because God will scatter
the bones of those who besiege you.(H)
You will put them to shame,
for God has rejected them.(I)
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